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Alonzo Cushing
| died = | placeofburial_label = Place of burial | placeofburial = West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York | placeofbirth = Delafield, Wisconsin | placeofdeath = Cemetery Ridge, near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | placeofburial_coordinates = | allegiance = United States | branch = United States Army | serviceyears = 1861–1863 | rank = First Lieutenant | commands = Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery | battles = American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg | awards = | relations = Brother William B. Cushing }} Alonzo Hersford Cushing (January 19, 1841 – July 3, 1863) was an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He died at the Battle of Gettysburg while defending the Union position on Cemetery Ridge against Pickett's Charge for which he is to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Civil War service Cushing was born in what is now the city of Delafield, Wisconsin, but was raised in Fredonia, New York. His younger brother was future Union Navy officer Lt. William B. Cushing. They were the youngest of four brothers who eventually served in the Union forces.SUVCW Camp #5 website He graduated from the United States Military Academy in the class of June 1861. He commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery at Gettysburg, and was hailed by contemporaries as heroic in his actions on the third day of the battle. He was wounded three times. First, he was wounded by a shell fragment that went straight through his shoulder. He was then grievously wounded by a shell fragment which tore into his abdomen and groin. This wound exposed Cushing's intestines which he held in place with his hand as he continued to command his battery. After these injuries a higher ranking officer said, "Cushing, go to the rear." Cushing, due to the limited amount of men left, refused to fall back. The severity of his wounds left him unable to yell his orders above the sounds of battle. Thus, he was held aloft by his 1st Sergeant Frederick Füger, who faithfully passed on Cushing's commands. Cushing was killed when a bullet entered his mouth and exited through the back of his skull. He died on the field at the height of the assault.Brown, Cushing of Gettysburg. His body was returned to his family and then interred in the West Point Cemetery in Section 26, Row A, Grave 7. His headstone bears, at the behest of his mother, the inscription "Faithful unto Death."West Point Cemetery tourbook Cushing was posthumously cited for gallantry with a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel. Füger received the Medal of Honor.Theodore Parsons Hall, Family History of Lieut.-Colonel Frederick Füger, U.S. Army, and his Descendants (Detroit: Winn & Hammond, 1904), p. 14 ff. Cushing will receive a belated award of the Medal of Honor. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin nominated him for the medal in 2002 and, following a lengthy investigation, the U.S. Army approved the nomination in February 2010. In order for the medal to be awarded, it must next be approved by the U.S. Congress. It was announced on May 20, 2010 that Cushing will receive the Medal of Honor, 147 years after his death.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_civil_war_medal_of_honor Alonzo H. Cushing Camp #5 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War serves the Ozaukee County region of Wisconsin. A small state park in Delafield is dedicated to the memory of Cushing and two of his brothers, William and Howie. Notes }} See also References *Brown, Kent Masterson, Cushing of Gettysburg, University Press of Kentucky, 1993, ISBN 0-8131-1837-9 External links * Retrieved on 2008-09-27 *Gettysburg National Military Park - The Death of Lt. Cushing Further reading * Haight, Theron Wilber, Three Wisconsin Cushings; a sketch of the lives of Howard B., Alonzo H. and William B. Cushing, children of a pioneer family of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Madison: Wisconsin History Commission, 1910. * Winning a Battle to Honor a Civil War Hero, The New York Times, 11 June 2010 Category:1841 births Category:1863 deaths Category:Union Army soldiers Category:People of New York in the American Civil War Category:People from Waukesha County, Wisconsin Category:People from Chautauqua County, New York Category:United States Military Academy alumni Category:United States Army officers Category:Burials at West Point Cemetery